O.J. wrote:Name an actual date that you think he will release his tax forms, and I'll take you up on the bet, provided that the loser pays it to a charitable venture.

I would say that he will do it by October 30. He may do it earlier.

My thinking is that he let's this diffusion of effort go on as long as possible provided that he doesn't think his failure to release is hurting him. I think that if and when he decides that it is hurting him, he will release them.

I just don't see his failure hurting him with anyone outside of Obama's echo chamber and the Forum here. And this doesn't even hurt since these people won't vote for him anyway.

I am OK with donating to a charity. Send a check to the Adventist Disaster Agency (ADRA) if I win. Who should I donate to if you win the bet?

We will post the receipt here on the forum.

If either Romney or Obama winds up not being a candidate, all bets are off.

So, you've gone from a possible September release to a whopping one week before the election? What the hell, I'll still take you up on the bet. I prefer to keep my charitable donations local; if I lose, I'll be donating the $5 to a local food pantry. You're perfectly welcome to donate to ADRA if you lose.

O.J. wrote:So, you've gone from a possible September release to a whopping one week before the election?

No, I still think "September or even October" as I said originally. Nothing has changed. I think he will do it as soon as he sees not releasing them hurting him. Until that happens, if ever, I don't see him doing that.

I will not be all that surprised if he never releases them, though I do think he will eventually. Maybe even after the election if he runs and wins.

johnfajardohenry wrote:No, I still think "September or even October" as I said originally. Nothing has changed. I think he will do it as soon as he sees not releasing them hurting him. Until that happens, if ever, I don't see him doing that.

What presidential candidate has been hurt by releasing their taxes? He knows he's gonna get hammered on them and rightfully so. He's out of touch with the general public and his tax records will probably show that he's able to take advantage of the system whereas the majority of the public is not.

johnfajardohenry wrote:All the hoorah about Romney's taxes is hilarious. Think of all the (demmie) money, time and effort that is being spent on this.

Then why are many very prominent Republicans calling for him to release his records. They know it's bad press.

The Romney campaign's latest attempt to change the subject has been to employ dog whistle politics, something I sincerely believed he would avoid. Leaving the nastiness to the PACs gives the Romney camp the ability to distance themselves from charges of covert racism, something I think they'd be especially keen to preserve just days after a white supremacist shot up a Sikh Temple in Milwaukee. But Romney's latest salvo accusing President Obama of weakening welfare-to-work requirements suggests that he isn't afraid of the racially charged "welfare President" meme that conservative commentators have pushed on Obama since 2008. It speaks to the base, but perhaps more importantly it speaks to middle class families who are struggling in a sluggish economy.

Oh, and they're still calling Eddie Munster a potential Veep. I'm not sure that Paul Ryan can help Mitt Romney win Wisconsin, but I would think his campaign is more interested in States like Florida or Ohio. Pick a veep who hasn't already released a bunch of tax returns, Mitt. You don't need to add fuel to that fire.

The Romney campaign has just given up on any kind of coherent or consistent message:

A Mitt Romney spokesperson offered an unusual counterattack Wednesday to an ad in which a laid-off steelworker blames the presumptive GOP nominee for his family losing health care: If that family had lived in Massachusetts, it would have been covered by the former governor’s universal health care law.

No I'm not going to apologize for canning your ass, and I'm certainly not going to express any sympathy for your dead wife. If you're sick and poor, just move! Hell, I've got houses all over the country. Romneycare is awesome, and I'm totally going to repeal Obamacare.

Mitt Romney's refusal to release tax returns in the critical years of his income accumulation has done little to dispel the legitimate concern that arises from hints buried in his scant disclosure to date: Did he augment his wealth through highly aggressive tax stratagems of questionable validity?

Full CNN story by Peter C. Canellos, a lawyer, who is the former chair of the New York State Bar Association Tax Section and Edward D. Kleinbard who is a professor at Gould School of Law at the University of Southern California. He is the former chief of staff of Congress's Joint Committee on Taxation.

That one's worth reading, though I don't know if the writers have a partisan intent or not. If it's accurate and fair, Romney's record shows putting service to his country as a high priority is not something he's known for as a businessman.

Once again, I'm back to the same place: this man's experience and actions do not make him more suitable to be president. In fact, they come closer and closer to disqualifying him.

First I read that Romney will probably pass on Paul Ryan for his v.p. choice because his budget plan is too controversial and might hurt their chance to get the independent vote. Instead he will go with someone more moderate and uncontroversial like Pawlenty.